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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Plans Progress on West Virginia Ethane Cracker Plant

Work continues on getting the pieces in place that will allow a new petrochemical complex - the ethane cracker plant - to be built in Wood County, state and local officials said.

On Nov. 14, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and officials with Brazil-based Odebrecht announced plans for the development of an ethane cracker, three polyethylene plants and associated infrastructure for water treatment and energy co-generation. A cracker plant converts ethane, a byproduct from Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale natural gas, into the widely used ethylene, a key component for the plastics industry.

The proposed complex is called ASCENT, which stands for "Appalachian Shale Cracker Enterprise." If the plant is built, it would be operated by Braskem America.